Reminder for vigilance against racism

He grew up in the Carolinas. He joined the Army, was stationed at Fort Bragg and served two years in Vietnam. He was committed to his beliefs, inspired by a tract his father shared in 1974. That newsletter, “The Thunderbolt,” began the journey of young Glenn Miller Jr. into a world view of racial supremacy.

Increasingly active in regional hate groups, Miller was present in Greensboro in 1979 when neo-Nazis murdered five communists at a protest march. Accounts vary, but it seems likely that the Army forced him to retire in 1980 because of his ties to extremist groups.

That year he founded the Carolina Knights of the KKK. It had three members initially, including Miller. An admirer of Adolf Hitler, Miller drilled his growing but always tiny cadre of followers in military fashion. A colorful figure, he often appeared on camera in fatigues rather than white sheets.

He wrote letters to the editors of North Carolina newspapers, most frequently the News & Observer in Raleigh. Then he lived in a little North Carolina town, Angier.

He frequently ran for office, never with any chance of winning. Many will remember Miller from those days, recalling him as little more than a clown. He spent time in many North Carolina cities or towns over the years. His name crops up in the western part of the state, the Triad and downeast in military towns like Jacksonville.

He was, in many ways, the David Duke of North Carolina, only much less polished.

Eventually, he went on the run after violating a court order, but federal agents caught him. Miller cut a deal, reporting on other white supremacists. He served three years in federal prison.

Most folks in North Carolina hadn’t thought about Miller in the last 25 years. He’d generally faded from the bizarre corner of the spotlight he once held.

But he still hated. He hated African-Americans, Asians and a long list of others. He openly called for the extermination of Jews. Even so, he’d talked like this for years without acting.

And then he did.

Miller, who had begun going by the name Frazier Glenn Cross, admired racist murderer Joseph Paul Franklin and communicated with him until his execution in November. On Franklin’s birthday, Miller drove to Overland Park, Kan., apparently intent on acting on his own message after all these years.

Despite suffering from emphysema and being banned as a convicted felon from carrying guns, police say Miller shouted “Heil Hitler” and opened fire, killing three people he seems to have thought were Jewish, though none were.

There’s no such thing as a peaceful message of hatred, no matter how long it has slumbered. Evil may be loutish, ignorant and loathsome, but it is never just a joke. We must be watchful because others of the same mind set, however few, are still among us. We must warn our children about Miller and other voices of hate.

Page 2 of 2 - We must show them a better way, embracing tolerance, respecting differences and championing equality.